author
Echoes of Love
Live Talk. June 2025.
💖 A heartfelt thank you to the beautiful soul behind the Echoes of Love movement — Josie LoPorto Freeborn. Your vision, your heart, and your father’s legacy created a space that gave me the courage to share something I had never spoken out loud before.
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For the first time, I went live — unexpectedly and vulnerably — and shared a fresh part of my story, one I hadn’t been able to face until now. It was deeply emotional, incredibly healing, and a powerful step forward in my journey of reclaiming my voice through grief.
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To everyone who joined me or watched the replay: thank you for holding space with me. If you haven’t yet, I invite you to listen to this raw and honest moment from my heart — a piece of love, loss, and healing that needed to be spoken.
💖 Let the echoes continue. Love never ends.
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Echoes of Love: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AWJJZmLVM/
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In this deeply moving episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction: Thriving After Chaos, I sit down with writer and poet Dana K, whose journey through grief and healing is both heartbreaking and inspiring. After losing her brother, Arman, to suicide, Dana was forced to confront not only his absence but also the trauma she had carried since childhood. Growing up in a home with narcissistic parents, she endured emotional neglect and manipulation, leaving deep scars that remained unaddressed—until Arman’s passing became the catalyst for her healing.
The loss of her brother, Arman, became a pivotal moment in Dana’s life, inspiring her to turn grief into poetry and silence into meaningful expression. Her debut book, FIVE A.M. The Silence After Goodbye, is both a tribute to her brother’s memory and a testament to the enduring strength of the human spirit.
Grief doesn’t have a timeline, and silence can be deafening. In this deeply moving episode, I sit down with writer, poet, and mental health advocate Dana Kurmasheva to discuss her powerful book, FIVE A.M. The Silence After Goodbye. Inspired by the loss of her brother Arman, her poetry is a tribute to his memory and an exploration of the stigma surrounding depression in many cultures.
I am deeply passionate about mental health and dedicated to raising awareness of the seriousness of depression. Unfortunately, it continues to carry a heavy stigma in many parts of the world. My hope is that by sharing our stories, we can bring more awareness and support to those who are struggling. I am sending love and light to those suffering from depression, to their families and friends, and to fellow survivors like myself.
Too often, mental health struggles are dismissed as weakness, leaving those who suffer unheard and unseen. Dana and I dive into the importance of listening—to ourselves, to our loved ones, and to the words left behind. We’ll read selections from Arman’s work, share reflections on grief, and discuss how turning pain into expression can be a powerful path toward healing.
📢 On Thursday, March 20th, my interview with Monika and Ewelina from the UK- based Mind Empowerment podcast will be available to watch.
We had an open and heartfelt conversation about mental health, the importance of speaking up, and how we can truly show up for one another in our communities.
I hope you’ll take the time to watch and be part of this conversation.
Stay tuned for the link on Thursday.
When Dana lost her beloved brother, Arman, her world changed forever. Grief left her searching for a way to express the emotions that words alone couldn’t capture—until she found poetry. What started as a deeply personal outlet became a powerful testament to healing, resilience, and the enduring bond of love. In this episode, Dana, a writer, poet, and advocate, shares her journey from Kazakhstan to Canada, from heartbreak to creative expression, and how grief led her to publish her debut book, FIVE A.M. The Silence After Goodbye.
In this powerful and emotional episode, we sit down with Dana, who lost her younger brother, Arman, to suicide. Growing up in a toxic, high-pressure family, Dana not only battled grief but also the unbearable weight of blame from those closest to her. Now, as a mother, she’s determined to break the cycle and create a healthier, more compassionate future for her children. This is more than a story of loss—it’s a testament to resilience, healing, and rewriting the future.
This morning’s interview on the Samovar Show radio channel was truly special—an open and emotional conversation about grief, healing, and keeping my brother Arman’s legacy alive through his music.
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Hearing his voice on air was unforgettable. I’d love for you to experience this moment with me.